Visioning 2026 Blog
Transformational Change in Manufacturing -- Supercharging Entrepreneurs
Wired Magazine introduced a new trend impacting the manufacturing infrastructure in USA as well as around the world.
Micro manufacturing and prototyping technologies are now allowing entrepreneurs to convert a product idea in to prototype and finished product in months versus years. Small and inexpensive computer aided design, plastic injected molding and computed numerically controlled (CNC) machine tools are allowing entrepreneurs to produce products in smaller lots while maintaining sufficient profit margins. An entrepreneur can now turn to firms in the local area as well as across the globe to collaborate and accelerate the production of finished goods.
The Future Roadmap 2010-2050--An Exploration of Current & Future Trends
TRENDS & TECHNOLOGY TIMELINE 2010+
A roadmap for the exploration of current & future trends.
I just finished reading a couple articles in the latest Fast Company Magazine. Things are changing faster than we expected.
From personal experience I keep tabs on the AG commodities. For example, on January 12th the USDA changed their forecast of corn on hand. It dropped the value of corn $.50 cents in two days. From basically $3.50 to $3.00 per bushel on the local market, an approximately 16% drop in value. In years past you would never see a $.50 change in 1 year let alone in 2 days.
The stock market dropped approximately 5% in 5 days this past week. There is going to be even more turmoil as we move forward.
For example, how are we going to protect our 401(k) and IRA accounts from dropping in such significant values since we weren’t in the “right” investment instruments? I thought the 2000 internet bubble was bad, it was nothing compared to the 2008 “crash” in asset values that I don’t necessarily see a rebound in the next 5-10 years. So much for the buy and hold in the long term which is what I lived by the past 30 years. I believe the paradigm has changed but I’m not sure to what, other than a lot of discussions on Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).
In the chart I read a couple of the lines. One that caught my interest, comes off Sustainability, gray line, below and moves to the right, shifting centers of economic activity, cautious optimism, CHIME liquidity, increasing inflation, ….. I had to look up the new term CHIME, which stands for China, India, and Middle East [http://resources.alibaba.com/topic/39879/CHIME_Countries_to_Charm_Investors_.htm].
There is a lot of data that could be studied over the course of several weeks and months.
Climate Change Due to CO2 Emmissions?
An excellent climate change video discussion (8 mins.) by John Coleman, Founder of the Weather Channel, on the fallacy of CO2 model indicating global warming. He describes that the solar sunspot cycles have a direct impact on our earth's weather temperatures not CO2 emmissions.
http://www.kusi.com/home/78477082.html
http://www.kusi.com/weather/colemanscorner/81175327.html